Protective cover for railcars

ABSTRACT

A protective cover for a truck assembly of a railcar comprises a first end portion, a second end portion, and a middle portion. The first end portion is molded to fit over a first section of the truck assembly. The second end portion is molded to fit over a second section of the truck assembly. The middle portion is molded to fit over a middle section of the truck assembly. The first end portion and the middle portion are coupled to one another using at least one fastener. The second end portion and the middle portion are coupled to one another using at least one fastener. The first end portion, the second end portion, and the middle portion are molded such that when coupled together, the protective cover corresponds to a frame structure of the truck assembly.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to railcars and, more particularly, toa protective cover for railcars.

BACKGROUND

Railcars are used for transporting commodities. Over time, parts orcomponents of a railcar suffer from corrosion and rust. Such parts ofthe railcar may be painted or coated to protect those parts from theoutside environment and prevent corrosion and rust. Prior to painting orcoating a part of the railcar, the part is blasted with media (e.g.,pressured air, pressured water) to remove scale, rust, and othercontaminants that may affect the adhesion of the new paint or coating.

In some cases, the part of the railcar that is desired to be painted orcoated may be adjacent to other parts of the railcar where it isundesirable to be exposed to the blast media such that the blast mediacontacts or lodges in those parts. Similarly, the part of the railcarthat is desired to be painted or coated may be adjacent to areas of therailcar that need to be protected from paint or coating particles.

One potential approach to cover areas of the railcar that need to becovered during painting or coating is to use maintenance, repair, andoperation (MRO) materials, such as rubber materials, tarps, tapes, andplastic cloths to cover such areas. However, this process islabor-intensive, suffers from human error, is unreliable, and produces asignificant amount of non-recyclable waste.

SUMMARY

To address the foregoing problems, various embodiments are disclosedherein for providing a protective cover for railcars. The protectivecover is configured to cover areas and components of the railcar thatneed to be protected from blast media (e.g., compressed air), paintparticles, and coating particles.

In certain embodiments, the protective cover may be molded according tothe dimension of the component(s) that need to be covered duringblasting and painting operations. For example, assume that a truckassembly of the railcar needs to be covered during blasting and paintingoperations. The truck assembly may include any number and combination ofa side frame, railcar wheels, wheel bearings, wheel axles, among othercomponents. The protective cover may be molded according to the framestructure of the truck assembly.

The protective cover may be constructed to have any number of portionsas needed to cover at least a portion of the surface of the desiredarea, e.g., the truck assembly. Portions of the protective cover may becoupled to one another using one or more fasteners, such as mechanicalfasteners, rubber latches, gate latches, built-in catches, and the like.

Certain embodiments may provide one or more technical advantages. Incertain embodiments, the protective cover may be formed of a partiallyor completely recyclable material. Thus, the protective cover may notproduce non-recyclable waste and reduce expenses related to usingmaintenance, repair, and operation (MRO) materials, such as rubbermaterials, tarps, tapes, and plastic cloths for covering the desiredarea that needs to be covered during blasting and painting.

In certain embodiments, the protective cover may be constructed suchthat it can be easily installed over the desired area that needs to becovered during blasting and painting. Thus, using the protective covermay reduce expenses related to the labor-intensive process of coveringthe desired area.

In certain embodiments, the protective cover may be constructed suchthat it can be used for different types and sizes of railcars. Forexample, adjacent portions of the protective cover may be overlappedwith each other with various overlapping distances to allow installationon different types and sizes of railcars.

In certain embodiments, the protective cover may be used on new railcarsfor initial paint application.

Several embodiments are elaborated on in this disclosure. In accordancewith a particular embodiment, a protective cover for a truck assembly ofa railcar comprises a first end portion, a second end portion, and amiddle portion. The first end portion is molded to fit over a firstsection of the truck assembly. The second end portion is molded to fitover a second section of the truck assembly. The middle portion ismolded to fit over a middle section of the truck assembly. Theprotective cover further comprises at least a first fastener configuredto couple the first end portion and the middle portion at one or morelocations where the first end portion meets the middle portion. Theprotective cover further comprises at least a second fastener configuredto couple the second end portion and the middle portion at one or morelocations where the second end portion meets the middle portion. Thefirst end portion, the second end portion, and the middle portion aremolded such that when coupled together, the protective cover correspondsto a frame structure of the truck assembly.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure may include some, all, ornone of these advantages. These advantages and other features will bemore clearly understood from the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is nowmade to the following brief description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like referencenumerals represent like parts.

FIG. 1A illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a railcar;

FIG. 1B illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a side frame of therailcar of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 illustrates an isometric view of one embodiment of a protectivecover with three portions;

FIG. 3 illustrates an isometric view of one embodiment of a protectivecover with overlapping portions;

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an embodiment of a protective cover withvarious overlapping distances installed on different types of railcars;

FIG. 5 illustrates an isometric view of one embodiment of an installedprotective cover;

FIG. 6 illustrates isometric views of various embodiments of protectivecovers used for different types of railcars;

FIGS. 7A and B illustrate an embodiment of a protective cover with twoportions; and

FIG. 8 illustrates an example flowchart of a method for using aprotective cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1A illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a railcar 100.Examples of the railcar 100 may include a railroad car, a hopper car, afreight car, and a tank car. The railcar 100 is configured to transportcommodities, e.g., coal, sand, metal ores, ballast, aggregates, grain,and any other type of lading.

The railcar 100 is mounted on truck assemblies 110. The truck assemblies110 enable the railcar 100 to travel along a rail. In the example ofFIG. 1A, one truck assembly 110 is shown at one end of the railcar 100,and another truck assembly 110 is shown at the other end of the railcar100. Each truck assembly 110 may include any number and combination of aside frame, railcar wheels, wheel bearings, roller bearings, springs,wheel axles, among other components.

Parts or components of the railcar 100 may need to be painted or coatedwith protective material to protect the components of the railcar 100from the outside environment, such as dust, rust, water, ice, heat, anddirt. Painting or coating the components of the railcar 100 may reducethe corrosion of these components.

Prior to painting or coating a component of the railcar 100, thecomponent of the railcar 100 is blasted with media (e.g., compressedair) to remove scale, rust, and other contaminants that may affect theadhesion of the new paint or coating. In some cases, components of therailcar 100 to be painted or coated may be adjacent to other componentsof the railcar 100 where it is undesirable to be exposed to the blastmedia (e.g., the truck assembly 110) such that the blast media contactsor lodges in those components. For example, components of the railcar100 to be painted or coated may be adjacent to areas of the railcar 100(e.g., truck assembly 110) that need to be protected from painting orcoating particles.

One potential approach to cover areas of the railcar 100 that need to becovered during painting or coating is to use maintenance, repair, andoperation (MRO) materials, such as rubber materials, tarps, tapes, andplastic cloths to cover such areas. However, this process islabor-intensive, suffers from human error, and is unreliable. Forexample, the MRO material may not be applied properly to cover thedesired area, and the area is exposed to the blast media, paint, and/orcoating particles. In addition, using the MRO material to cover an areaof the railcar 100 produces a significant amount of non-recyclablewaste. Furthermore, utilization of the MRO materials is inconsistent forevery railcar—meaning that there is an opportunity for error in coveringdesired areas and/or components of a railcar by using the MRO materials.For example, certain desired areas and/or components may be leftuncovered if the MRO materials are used.

The present disclosure contemplates a protective cover 120 (see FIG. 2 )that is configured to cover areas and components of the railcar 100 thatneed to be protected from the blast media, paint, and coating particles,such as the truck assembly 110. Various embodiments of the protectivecover 120 are described in greater detail in FIGS. 2-7 and a method forusing the protective cover 120 is described in FIG. 8 . The presentdisclosure contemplates a protective cover 120 that may be used forprotecting the desired areas in both paint and blast operations, asdescribed above. The protective cover 120 may provide ergonomicadvantages. For example, certain embodiments of the protective cover 120are easier on the operators as the installation of the protective cover120 may be accomplished by at least two latches. In another example, theweight of each portion of the protective cover 120 (optionally withexception of the middle portion) is such that a person can easily carryit. The present disclosure contemplates various embodiments ofprotective covers that can be used to cover any component(s) and/orarea(s) of the railcar 110 as desired according to guidelines used todesign the embodiments of protective cover 120 described herein,including valves, brake wheels, and couplers.

In certain embodiments, the protective cover 120 may be used on newrailcars for initial paint application.

FIG. 1B illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a truck assembly 110of the railcar 100 of FIG. 1A. To design a protective cover 120 for thetruck assembly 110, the truck assembly 110 may be divided into two ormore sections 112 or be considered as one portion 112 from one end toanother. Each portion 122 of the protective cover 120 may be constructedor molded to fit over its respective section 112 of the truck assembly110. In the illustrated embodiment, the truck assembly 110 is dividedinto sections 112 a to 112 c. Each section 112 may have any suitablelength. The accumulation of the lengths of the sections 112 makes up thelength of the truck assembly 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the twoend portions 112 a and 112 c have the same length, and the middlesection 112 b has a different length compared to the end portions 112 aand 112 c. The length of each portion 112 may be set to ease theinstallation of the protective cover 120 on the truck assembly 110,reduce the installation time and labor cost, improve installationefficiency, improve the coverage of the truck assembly 110 (that isneeded to be protected from the blast media, paint, and coatingparticles), and thus improve the overall operation of the railcar 100.

FIG. 2 illustrates an isometric view of one embodiment of the protectivecover 120 with three portions. The protective cover 120 may beconfigured to cover (or house) at least a portion of the truck assembly110. In the illustrated embodiment, the protective cover 120 is moldedaccording to a frame structure of a truck assembly 110. For example, theportions 122 of the protective cover 120 may be molded such that whencoupled together, the protective cover 120 corresponds to a framestructure of the truck assembly 110.

In other embodiments, the protective cover 120 may be molded accordingto any combination and number of components of the railcar 100. In otherwords, the protective cover 120 may be molded according to a framestructure of any combination and number of components of the railcar100.

In certain embodiments, the portion(s) 122 of the protective cover 120may be molded to provide a suitable clearance space from the truckassembly 110 and components immediately adjacent to any component of thetruck assembly 110 to allow easy installation of the protective cover120. The clearance space may provide room for a technician to install aportion 122 in its respective place. For example, the clearance spacemay be in the order of one to several inches. In certain embodiments,the protective cover 120 may be formed of plastic, plastic alloys, metal(such as aluminum), and any suitable material.

In certain embodiments, the protective cover 120 may be formed ofpartially or totally recyclable materials. In certain embodiments, theprotective cover 120 may be formed of one or more materials to allow fordurability, easy cleanup, and recyclability. In certain embodiments, theprotective cover 120 may be formed by a casting machine, a moldingmachine, and/or any other suitable method. In certain embodiments, theprotective cover 120 may be coated with a hydrophobic material to repeldroplets of water, paint, and coating particles and to reduce theaccumulation of such droplets and particles.

The protective cover 120 may include any suitable number of pieces orportions 122 to cover the truck assembly 110. In the illustratedembodiment in FIG. 2 , the protective cover 120 includes a first endportion 122 a, a middle portion 122 b, and a second end portion 122 c.

The first end portion 122 a is molded according to a frame structure ofa first section 112 a (see FIG. 1B) of the truck assembly 110. Forexample, the first end portion 122 a may be molded to fit over the firstsection 112 a (see FIG. 1B). In other words, the first end portion 122 amay be formed, molded, or constructed to accommodate (e.g., match orapproximately match) edges, the shape, and the dimension of the firstsection 112 a of the truck assembly 110.

The first end portion 122 a may have various sections with variousdimensions to accommodate edges, shape, and the dimension of the firstsection 112 a (see FIG. 1B). In the illustrated embodiment, the firstend portion 122 a has a first part with a height 126 a, a second partwith a height 126 b, and a third part with a height 126 c. The height126 a may be greater than the height 126 b. The height 126 b may begreater than the height 126 c. The height 126 a may be set according toa height of the tallest components in the truck assembly 110, such as arailcar wheel. For example, the height 126 a may be from one to severalfeet any suitable height that accommodates the height of the truckassembly 110. Each of the height 126 b and 126 c may be from one toseveral feet. The first end portion 122 a may have a curved sectionaccording to a dimension of a railcar wheel of the truck assembly 110.For example, the curved section may fit over a railcar wheel of thetruck assembly 110.

The first end portion 122 a may be formed or molded to have a pocket136. The pocket 136 may correspond to a receding portion. In theillustrated embodiment, the pocket 136 is designed to fit and sitbetween a railcar wheel and a side frame of a railcar 100. The pocket136 stabilizes the first end portion 122 a. During the installation ofthe first end portion 122 a on the first section 112 a (see FIG. 1B) ofthe truck assembly 110, the first end portion 122 a is slid into adesignated position with respect to the first section 112 a such thatthe pocket 136 sits between the railcar wheel and the side frame. Thepocket 136 is formed to have a receding portion. The receding portionallows the first end portion 122 a to sit on the component of therailcar such that the first end portion 122 a is stabilized—i.e. atechnician does not need to hold the first end portion 122 a in place.In this manner, the pocket 136 holds up and stabilizes the first endportion 122 a on the first section 112 a (see FIG. 1B) of the truckassembly 110. The second end portion 122 c may be formed or molded tohave a pocket 136 (not explicitly shown) similar to the first endportion 122 a.

The first end portion 122 a may have a length 130 and a width 128. Thewidth 128 may be equal to or more than a width of the widest componentin the truck assembly 110. For example, the width 128 may be anysuitable width that accommodates the width of the truck assembly 110.The length 130 may be any suitable length that accommodates a length ofthe first section 112 a (see FIG. 1 ) of the truck assembly 110.

The middle portion 122 b is molded according to a frame structure of amiddle section 112 b (see FIG. 1B) of the truck assembly 110. Forexample, the middle portion 122 b may be molded to fit over the middlesection 112 b (see FIG. 1B). In other words, the middle portion 122 bmay be formed, molded or constructed to accommodate (e.g., match orapproximately match) edges, shapes, and the dimension of the middlesection 112 b of the truck assembly 110.

The middle portion 122 b may have various sections with variousdimensions to accommodate edges, the shape, and the dimension of themiddle section 112 b of the truck assembly 110. In the illustratedembodiment, the middle portion 122 b has a first part with the height126 a, a second part with the height 126 b, a third part with the height126 c, and a fourth part with a height 126 d. Aspects of the heights 126to 126 c are described above.

In the example of FIG. 2 , the height 126 d is smaller than the height126 a to accommodate (e.g., match or approximately match) a decrease ordip in the height of the middle section of the truck assembly 110.

The decreased height in the middle portion 122 b allows fitting the topedge of the middle portion 122 b under a bolster and over a side frameof a railcar 100. The height 126 d may be any value from five to severalinches or any suitable value. The middle portion 122 b may have thewidth 128. Aspects of the width 128 are described above. The middleportion 122 b may have a length 132. The length 132 may be any valuefrom ten to several inches or any suitable length that accommodates alength of the middle section 112 b (see FIG. 1B) of the truck assembly110.

The second end portion 122 c may be a flipped version of the design ofthe first end portion 122 a. The second end portion 122 c may be moldedaccording to a frame structure of the second end section 112 c (see FIG.1B) of the truck assembly 110. For example, the second end portion 122 cmay be designed to fit over the third section 112 c (see FIG. 1B) of thetruck assembly 110. In other words, the second end portion 122 c may beformed, molded, or constructed to accommodate (e.g., match orapproximately match) edges, the shape, and dimensions of the thirdsection 112 c (see FIG. 1B) of the truck assembly 110. The second endportion 122 c may have various sections with various dimensions toaccommodate the edges, the shape, and the dimension of the third section112 c (see FIG. 1B) of the truck assembly 110. In the illustratedembodiment, the second end portion 122 c has a first part with theheight 126 a, a second part with the height 126 b, and a third part withthe height 126 c. Aspects of the heights 126 to 126 c are describedabove.

The second end portion 122 c may have the width 128 and length 134.Aspects of the width 128 and the length 134 are described above. Thesecond end portion 122 c may have a curved section according to adimension of a railcar wheel of the truck assembly 110, similar to thefirst end portion 122 a described above.

In the illustrated embodiment, the accumulation of the length 130 of thefirst end portion 122 a, the length 132 of the middle portion 122 b, andthe length 134 of the second end portion 122 c may be equal to orgreater than the length of the truck assembly 110.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first end portion 122 a, the middleportion 122 b, and the second end portion 122 c are molded such thatthey do not cover under the railcar wheels of the truck assembly 110. Ascan be seen from FIG. 2 , the portions 122 a to 122 c cover the top andportions of the sides of the truck assembly 110. By designing or moldingthe portions 122 a to 122 to not cover under the railcar wheels, itallows for the railcar to travel while the protective cover 120 isinstalled on the truck assembly 110. This is particularly advantageousbecause for blasting the railcar with blast media, the railcar istypically pulled into an area, such as a blast chamber where the desiredarea (e.g., the body of the railcar) is blasted with the blast media. Assuch, the protective cover 120 can be installed on the truck assembly110 before the railcar is pulled into the blast chamber and the railcarcan travel while the protective cover 120 is installed.

Although FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of the protective cover 120with three portions 122 a to 122 c, the present disclosure is notlimited to the illustrated embodiment. In certain embodiments, theprotective cover 120 may have a single piece that is molded according toa frame structure of a truck assembly 110. In certain embodiments, theprotective cover 120 may have two pieces or portions 122 that are moldedaccording to a frame structure of a truck assembly 110 (see FIG. 6 forthe description of the two-piece protective cover 120). In certainembodiments, the protective cover 120 may have any number of portions122 as needed to house or cover the truck assembly 110.

In installing the protective cover 120 on the truck assembly 110, theportions 122 a to 122 c may be coupled to one another using one or morefasteners 310 at one or more locations where they meet. Examples of thefasteners 310 may include mechanical fasteners, rubber latches, gatelatches, built-in catches, among other types of fasteners and latches.In the illustrated embodiment, the first end portion 122 a may becoupled to the middle portion 122 b using the fastener 310 a during theinstallation. In other embodiments, the first end portion 122 a and themiddle portion 122 b may be coupled to each other using any number offasteners 310.

Further in the illustrated embodiment, the second end portion 122 c maybe coupled to the middle portion 122 b using the fastener 310 b duringthe installation. In other embodiments, the second end portion 122 c andthe middle portion 122 b may be coupled to each other using any numberof fasteners 310.

In certain embodiments, the fasteners 310 may be disposed on theportions 122 of the protective cover 120 such that they allow adjacentportions 122 to overlap with each other. For example, a receivingcomponent of a fastener 310 may be disposed further away from an edge ofa portion 112 by the order of one to several inches. Thus, adjacentportions 122 may overlap with each other by the order of one to severalinches. An example illustration of the overlapping portions 112 is shownin FIG. 3 .

FIG. 3 illustrates an isometric view of a protective cover 120 of FIG. 2with overlapping portions 122. In the illustrated embodiments, adjacentportions 122 a and 122 b are overlapped with a distance 320, andadjacent portions 122 c and 122 c are overlapped with the distance 320.The overlapping distance 320 may be from one to several inches.Designing the portions 122 to allow overlapping distance 320 allows theprotective cover 120 to have different lengths and thus to accommodatedifferent types and sizes of railcars 100 and truck assemblies 110.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an embodiment of a protective cover 120 withvarious overlapping distances 320 installed on different types ofrailcars 100 a and 100 b. The length of a truck assembly 110 of therailcar 100 a may be smaller than the length of a truck assembly 110 ofthe railcar 100 b. Thus, adjacent portions 122 of the protective cover120 may overlap with each other with distances 320 a and 320 b such thatthe protective cover 120 corresponds to the lengths of railcars 100 aand 100 b, respectively. The distance 320 b is different from thedistance 320 a. The first type of railcar 100 a is different from thesecond type of railcar 100 b. The first type of railcar 100 a may have adifferent size compared to the second type of railcar 100 b. Truckassemblies 110 of the first type of railcar 100 a may have a differentsize compared to truck assemblies 110 of the second type of railcar 100b. For example, the first type of railcar 100 a may be a tank railcar,and the second type of railcar 100 b may be a hopper railcar or afreight railcar. With respect to the railcar 100 a, the portions 122 ato 122 c of the protective cover 120 may be installed on the railcar 100a such that the adjacent portions 122 overlap with each other with thedistance 320 a. The distance 320 a is for use on the first type ofrailcar 100 a. With respect to the railcar 100 b, the portions 122 a to122 c of the protective cover 120 may be installed on the railcar 100 asuch that the adjacent portions 122 overlap with each other with thedistance 320 b. The distance 320 b is for use on the second type ofrailcar 100 b.

FIG. 5 illustrates an assembled protective cover 120 of FIG. 2 . In theillustrated embodiment, fasteners 310 are used to couple the first endportion 122 a to the middle portion 122 b, and couple the second endportion 122 c to the middle portion 122 b.

In installing the portions 122 of the protective cover 120, each endportion 122 a and 122 c are placed on its designated position withrespect to the truck assembly 110. Once the end portions 122 a and 122 care put in their designated positions, the middle portion 122 b isplaced in its designated portion with respect to the truck assembly 110,e.g., overlapping the end portions 122 a and 122 c. The adjacentportions 122 are coupled to one another by closing the fasteners 310.After the truck assembly 110 is covered, blasting, painting, or coatingoperation for a component next to the truck assembly 110 may begin.

FIG. 6 illustrates isometric views of various embodiments of protectivecovers 120 a and 120 b used for different types of railcars 110 a and110 b, respectively. The illustrated embodiment of the protective cover120 a is used for a first type of railcar 100 a. For example, the firsttype of railcar 100 a may include a tank railcar. As can be seen, theillustrated embodiment of the protective cover 120 a is formed to haveportions 610 to cover at least a portion of the back of the wheels. Thisis because components of the truck assembly adjacent to the wheels ofthe tank railcars are exposed more than other types of railcars. Theportions 610 allow covering the exposed components from the blast media,paint, and coating particles.

The illustrated embodiment of the protective cover 120 b is used for asecond type of railcar 100 b. For example, the second type of railcar100 b may include a hopper railcar or freight railcar. As can be seen,the protective cover 120 b does not have the portions 610. One reasonfor this is that components that are desired to be covered in hopperrailcars and freight railcars are not exposed as much as in the tankrailcars. Another reason is that some components of the hopper railcarsand freight railcars may be in the way of installing the portions of theprotective cover 120 b. For example, in the case of a hopper car, asloped sidewall of a hopper discharge structure may limit the space fora technician to slide a portion of the protective cover into its placeover a wheel. In another example, a coupled release or a sill step of afreight or hopper railcar may limit the space for a technician to slidea portion of the protective cover into its place. Thus, to provideenough clearance and room to slide the portions of the protective cover120 b into their respective positions, the protective cover 120 b forthe second type of railcars 100 b is molded to exclude the portions 610.

FIGS. 7A and B illustrate an embodiment of a protective cover 120 withtwo portions 510 a and 510 b. FIG. 7A illustrates a side view of anembodiment of the two-piece protective cover 120. FIG. 7B illustrates atop view of the two-piece protective cover 120 of FIG. 7A. The portion510 a of the two-piece protective cover 120 may be molded according to aframe structure of a first section of the truck assembly 110 of therailcar 100. The portion 510 a may have a dimension (e.g., length,height, width) to accommodate the frame structure of the first sectionof the truck assembly 110. The portion 510 b of the two-piece protectivecover 120 may be molded according to a frame structure of a secondsection of the truck assembly 110 of the railcar 100. The portion 510 bmay have a dimension (e.g., length, height, width) to accommodate theframe structure of the second section of the truck assembly 110. Thefirst and second portions 510 a and 510 b are molded such that when theyare coupled together, the two-piece protective cover 120 corresponds tothe frame structure of the truck assembly 110. The first and secondportions 510 a and 510 b are coupled together by one or more fasteners310. Aspects of the fastener 310 are described in FIG. 2 . Forinstallation, the first and second portions 510 a and 510 b are placedin their respective positions over a truck assembly 110 one afteranother. Then, the first and second portions 510 a and 510 a are coupledtogether with one or more fasteners 310.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart describing an example method 800 forusing a protective cover 120. In the example method 800, the protectivecover 120 is used to cover a truck assembly 110 of a railcar 100. Inother examples, the protective cover 120 may be used to cover any numberand combination of components and/or areas of the railcar 100. In theexample method 800, the protective cover 120 includes a first endportion 122 a, a middle portion 122 b, and a second end portion 122 c.In other examples, the protective cover 120 may include any number ofportions 122 as needed to cover the desired component(s) and area of therailcar 100.

Method 800 begins at 810 where the first end portion 122 a of theprotective cover 120 is installed over a first section 112 a of thetruck assembly 110. Aspects of the first end portion 122 a are describedin FIGS. 2-6 .

At 820, the second end portion 122 c of the protective cover 120 isinstalled over a second section 112 c of the truck assembly 110. Aspectsof the second end portion 122 c are described in FIGS. 2-6 .

At 830, the middle portion 122 b of the protective cover 120 isinstalled over a middle section 112 b of the truck assembly 110. Aspectsof the middle portion 122 b are described in FIGS. 2-6 . The middleportion 122 b may be installed such that it overlaps with the first andsecond end portions 122 a and 122 c.

At 840, the first end portion 122 a and the middle portion 122 b arecoupled to each other by at least a first fastener 310. The first endportion 122 a and the middle portion 122 b are coupled to each other atone or more locations 124, similar to that described in FIGS. 2 and 3 .

At 850, the second end portion 122 c and the middle portion 122 b arecoupled to each other by at least a second fastener 310. The second endportion 122 c and the middle portion 122 b are coupled to each other atone or more locations 124, similar to that described in FIGS. 2 and 3 .

Although particular embodiments and their advantages have been describedin detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions,and alternations can be made herein without departing from the spiritand scope of the embodiments. Particular embodiments of the presentdisclosure described herein may be used or mounted for a railroad car, asemi-trailer, a truck, or any other transportations. The illustrationsreferred to in the above description were meant not to limit the presentdisclosure but rather to serve as examples of embodiments thereof and sothe present invention should only be measured in terms of the claims,which follow.

While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure,it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods might beembodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spiritor scope of the present disclosure. The present examples are to beconsidered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is notto be limited to the details given herein. For example, the variouselements or components may be combined or integrated in another systemor certain features may be omitted, or not implemented.

In addition, techniques, systems, subsystems, and methods described andillustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may becombined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, ormethods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Other items shown or discussed as coupled or directly coupled orcommunicating with each other may be indirectly coupled or communicatingthrough some interface, device, or intermediate component whetherelectrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes,substitutions, and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in theart and could be made without departing from the spirit and scopedisclosed herein.

To aid the Patent Office, and any readers of any patent issued on thisapplication in interpreting the claims appended hereto, applicants notethat they do not intend any of the appended claims to invoke 35 U.S.C. §112(f) as it exists on the date of filing hereof unless the words “meansfor” or “step for” are explicitly used in the particular claim.

1. A protective cover for a truck assembly of a railcar comprising: afirst end portion molded to fit over a first section of the truckassembly; a second end portion molded to fit over a second section ofthe truck assembly; a middle portion molded to fit over a middle sectionof the truck assembly; at least a first fastener configured to couplethe first end portion and the middle portion at one or more locationswhere the first end portion meets the middle portion; and at least asecond fastener configured to couple the second end portion and themiddle portion at one or more locations where the second end portionmeets the middle portion, wherein the first end portion, the second endportion, and the middle portion are molded such that when coupledtogether, the protective cover corresponds to a frame structure of thetruck assembly.
 2. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein for a firsttype of railcar: when coupled together the middle portion overlaps thefirst end portion a first distance and the middle portion overlaps thesecond end portion the first distance.
 3. The protective cover of claim2, wherein for a second type of railcar different from the first type pfrailcar: when coupled together the middle portion overlaps the first endportion a second distance; the middle portion overlaps the second endportion the second distance; and the second distance is different fromthe first distance.
 4. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein theprotective cover houses at least a portion of the truck assembly toprotect the truck assembly from being exposed to paint during a paintingoperation of a component of the railcar adjacent to the truck assembly.5. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein: the first end portion isdesigned to fit over the first section of the truck assembly accordingto a surface of the first section of the truck assembly; the second endportion is designed to fit over the second section of the truck assemblyaccording to a surface of the second section of the truck assembly; andthe middle portion is designed to fit over the middle section of thetruck assembly according to a surface of the middle section of the truckassembly.
 6. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein the protectivecover is formed of a plastic or a plastic alloy.
 7. The protective coverof claim 1, wherein the truck assembly comprises at least one of a sideframe, a wheel, a wheel bearing, and a wheel axle.
 8. A railcarcomprising: a truck assembly; and a protective cover configured to coverthe truck assembly, comprising: a first end portion molded to fit over afirst section of the truck assembly; a second end portion molded to fitover a second section of the truck assembly; a middle portion molded tofit over a middle section of the truck assembly; at least a firstfastener configured to couple the first end portion and the middleportion at one or more locations where the first end portion meets themiddle portion; and at least a second fastener configured to couple thesecond end portion and the middle portion at one or more locations wherethe second end portion meets the middle portion, wherein the first endportion, the second end portion, and the middle portion are molded suchthat when coupled together, the protective cover corresponds to a framestructure of the truck assembly.
 9. The railcar of claim 8, wherein fora first type of railcar: when coupled together the middle portionoverlaps the first end portion a first distance and the middle portionoverlaps the second end portion the first distance.
 10. The railcar ofclaim 9, wherein for a second type of railcar different from the firsttype pf railcar: when coupled together the middle portion overlaps thefirst end portion a second distance; the middle portion overlaps thesecond end portion the second distance; and the second distance isdifferent from the first distance.
 11. The railcar of claim 8, whereinthe protective cover houses at least a portion of the truck assembly toprotect the truck assembly from being exposed to paint during a paintingoperation of a component of the railcar adjacent to the truck assembly.12. The railcar of claim 8, wherein: the first end portion is designedto fit over the first section of the truck assembly according to asurface of the first section of the truck assembly; the second endportion is designed to fit over the second section of the truck assemblyaccording to a surface of the second section of the truck assembly; andthe middle portion is designed to fit over the middle section of thetruck assembly according to a surface of the middle section of the truckassembly.
 13. The railcar of claim 8, wherein the protective cover isformed of a plastic or a plastic alloy.
 14. The railcar of claim 8,wherein the truck assembly comprises at least one of a side frame, awheel, a wheel bearing, and a wheel axle.
 15. A method for using aprotective cover for a truck assembly of a railcar during a paintingoperation comprising: installing a first end portion of the protectivecover over a first section of the truck assembly, wherein the first endportion of the protective cover is molded to fit over the first sectionof the truck assembly; installing a second end portion of the protectivecover over a second section of the truck assembly, wherein the secondend portion of the protective cover is molded to fit over the secondsection of the truck assembly; installing a middle portion of theprotective cover over a middle section of the truck assembly, whereinthe middle portion of the protective cover is molded to fit over themiddle section of the truck assembly; coupling the first end portion tothe middle portion by at least a first fastener at one or more locationswhere the first end portion meets the middle portion; and coupling thesecond end portion to the middle portion by at least a second fastenerat one or more locations where the second end portion meets the middleportion.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein for a first type ofrailcar: when coupled together the middle portion overlaps the first endportion a first distance and the middle portion overlaps the second endportion the first distance.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein for asecond type of railcar different from the first type pf railcar: whencoupled together the middle portion overlaps the first end portion asecond distance; the middle portion overlaps the second end portion thesecond distance; and the second distance is different from the firstdistance.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the protective coverhouses at least a portion of the truck assembly to protect the truckassembly from being exposed to paint during a painting operation of acomponent of the railcar adjacent to the truck assembly.
 19. The methodof claim 15, wherein: the first end portion is designed to fit over thefirst section of the truck assembly according to a surface of the firstsection of the truck assembly; the second end portion is designed to fitover the second section of the truck assembly according to a surface ofthe second section of the truck assembly; and the middle portion isdesigned to fit over the middle section of the truck assembly accordingto a surface of the middle section of the truck assembly.
 20. The methodof claim 15, wherein the protective cover is formed of a plastic or aplastic alloy.